London-listed Galileo Resources has started a 3 000 m core drilling programme on the Luansobe copper project, in Zambia.
The programme has been designed to infill gaps in historic drilling and twin selected holes, with a particular focus on shallow up-dip projections of the deposit.
The company has relogged historical drill core data dating from the 1950s and 1960s, with core from five vertical holes being split for assaying of possible copper-bearing zones not previously recognised or considered of interest by earlier operators.
In this, assay results have returned 16 m grading 1.20% copper from 58 m, and 14 m grading 0.99% copper from 70 m.
The new data will be added to the drilling database.
Galileo aims to publish a mineral resource estimate and use it as a basis for openpit mine planning.
“We are pleased with our overall desktop review of the historic drill data for Luansobe and independent overview by Addison Mining Services.
“Re-examination of the old drill core found previously unrecognised copper-bearing zones of significant length. The work undertaken adds value to the modelling of a potential openpit and the new drill programme will define the extent and copper content, if any, of pre-strip for such a pit. We will aim to put a development contract out to tender early in the fourth quarter,” says Galileo CEO Colin Bird.